Second Kiss
by The.Golden.Dice
Summary: Belle and Adam both reflect on the aftermath of the curse being broken and take steps towards becoming more intimate.
1. Chapter 1

She hardly remembered kissing him, but the realisation that she had gave her butterflies in her stomach. He had come back to life, surrounded by swirling golden light, and she had cautiously stepped towards him, staring into those familiar blue eyes. It was overwhelming. She had gone from feeling the most extreme and desolate loss, to unbound happiness in the space of a minute. She still felt giddy and a small giggle escaped her as she tried to recall the feeling of his lips against hers. She brought the back of her hand to her mouth and held it there briefly, imagining more kisses.

She was sitting on her bed, having been told by Mrs Potts to take a rest after all the excitement of the day. One by one the number of villagers had dwindled as they returned to their homes in the village. Of course Monsieur Jean stayed at the castle, overjoyed at the return of his memory and his wife and child. Belle was filled with happiness at the sight of the three of them together.

It was lovely too, to see Lumière and Plumette interacting, however Belle had had a strong sense that they'd wished to be alone. The memory of the way they touched each other brought the blood rushing to Belle's cheeks. She knew that she wanted Adam to touch her that way, and look at her as adoringly, but she was apprehensive at the same time.

She had absolutely no experience with romantic intimacy other that what she had read in books. Her need to be touched by Adam was strong, but he was busy. After Mrs Potts suggested that Belle rest, Adam had retreated to a private room for a conversation with Agathe. The enchantress had smiled and bowed her head towards Belle, but made no move to speak with her.

Belle lay back on the bed. It was nice to be alone in the room for once. She assumed that Madame Garderobe and the maestro had a suite somewhere in the castle, and that she could look forward to some real privacy from now on. She wondered if Adam would invite her to move to a room nearer his. That would be the acceptable thing to do, until they were married of course. Sitting up with start, Belle rushed to the window and threw it open. She needed fresh air urgently. All the thoughts of marriage and sharing bedrooms had gotten to her. She wasn't frightened exactly, more nervous than anything.

Of course, Adam would be experienced in these matters. She felt relief at the thought of him being able to guide her, although he was bound to be nervous as well. After all he'd been in Beast form for so long. Her thoughts strayed back to the kiss. The way he'd brushed his hand through her hair had made her shiver. She longed to see him but didn't know if he was still busy. He would have much to discuss with Agathe. She didn't want to think too much about the circumstances of the enchantment. It was over now. They could talk about it together at a later time.

She had just returned to her bed and began to lie down when she heard a soft knock on the bedroom door.

"It's me Belle."

She knew his voice instantly even though it sounded strangely unfamiliar, and she rushed to open the door. He stood there in the same clothes he'd been wearing before, but somehow he'd found a jacket and shoes to fit him, probably belonging to Lumière. His eyes never left hers as she stood back to let him in, one hand touching his arm and the other back up near her mouth.

As soon as he was inside and the door was closed, he pulled her into an embrace that was almost too tight. She breathed in his scent and then sighed. She was glad it hadn't changed, as almost everything else about him was different.

"I can't stay for long. I wouldn't want to behave improperly. I just couldn't not see you." He said breathlessly as he looked down into her eyes.

"Of course. I'm so glad you're here". She replied. "Come, sit down".

They moved over to the bed, never completely letting go of one another. They sat down side by side so that she was almost on his knee. He brought one hand up to cup her cheek and she placed both of her hands on his chest. She could feel his heart beating under one hand.

"May I kiss you Belle, before we say goodnight?" He asked tentatively.

She began to move closer in response. Without realising it, she moved her hands up towards his face and entwined them behind his neck as he brought his lips closer to hers. This kiss was much less frantic than the first one. Adam gently guided her movements so that they matched his own, and when she instinctively opened her mouth, he brought his tongue forward slightly to touch hers. The feeling was overpowering and she never wanted it to end, however after a time Adam drew back. He placed one gentle kiss on the tip of her nose.

"We'd better say goodnight Belle, but don't worry, we can discuss everything tomorrow. In fact I thought perhaps you might like to move to a bedroom in the west wing? They're bigger and... it would be nearer my own". He seemed bashful as he said this, and she realised he was just as nervous about the thought of intimacy as she was.

"Yes. I would like to be closer to you." She said with a small smile as she stood. They walked together to the door and wished each other goodnight. It was incredibly difficult to part with him, but she knew that she could look forward with excitement to a time when that would no longer be necessary.


	2. Chapter 2

Adam tried to focus on the enchantress but his thoughts kept straying to Belle. She came back. Not only that, she had broken the curse, freed all of his friends, and caused the enchantress to bring him back to life. He felt as though he could lift right off of the ground and fly away. Never in his life had he felt this much happiness. It was so powerful that he could feel it physically, like a rush of blood to the head, a hammering heart, and butterflies in his stomach all at once.

"You are not paying attention." The enchantress said. Adam's eyes darted to hers, but thankfully she was smiling.

"We will talk another time, you must rest now and give your body a chance to catch up with it's transformation. I will visit again in a few days". She stood to leave but something stopped her from departing. With an earnest look she said,

"You are very lucky Adam. Please, take care of Belle. She deserves true love, as do you. However, she has none of the darkness that used to live within you. Remember that."

Adam watched the enchantress leave. He suspected that her warning was given in order to prevent him from rushing straight to Belle's room to seduce her. The thought of that made him feel ill. Never again would he prey upon a young woman's nerves and eagerness to impress him. He tried to forget that he'd ever behaved so terribly. Clearly he had certain things to prove in order to show that he had really changed. He only hoped that Belle would realise that the actions of his past may as well have been a different man.

He decided to stop by her room, just to say goodnight. He wanted to reassure her that after tonight she would no longer be expected to sleep in the east wing. It was full of guest bedrooms and, while luxurious, tended to feel secluded and cut off from the rest of the castle. Now that his home was restored to its former glory, he was excited to properly show Belle the suite that had once belonged to his mother. He hoped she would accept his offer to stay there, after all, this was truly her home now. She had chosen to come back.

He stepped into the shoes that Lumière had left by the door for him and put on a garish jacket that was sitting beside them. He would have to invest in new wardrobes for everyone. Making his way to Belle's bedroom, his heart beat faster. When he knocked on the door she opened it wide without hesitation, and even though he had told himself he wouldn't go into the room, her hand on his arm felt like permission to step over the threshold and pull her into a tight embrace.

She led him to her bed, and it took him a great deal of restraint to refrain from kissing her deeply without asking permission, however he knew that he wanted her experiences with him to be reassuring, and so he did ask. When she moved closer and clasped her hands behind his neck, he kissed her gently and let her take control of the pace and rhythm. He felt lightning snap through his veins when she brought her tongue forward to touch his own.

He never wanted the kiss to end, but he suddenly realised that the thought of going further at this moment made him feel nervous, not to mention the fact that he was overly aware of how improper that would be. Additionally, he had begun to feel very tired and decided it was time to leave, but not before extending the invitation to Belle to move into the west wing. He was delighted to see that she seemed enthusiastic about the idea, despite also looking exhausted.

Saying goodnight to her at the door and watching it close on him was agonising. As a form of distraction while he made his way to his own suite, he began to formulate plans in his head for how he would make his mother's old rooms ready for her. Collapsing on his bed, he was asleep within moments, still wearing his jacket and shoes, but contentedly dreaming of Belle.


End file.
